Sunday, 30 July 2017

Blimey! I’d better post a Viva Las Vegas Rockabilly Weekend 2017 blog while I can still remember it. Life kept getting in the way
ever since arriving back in London (I was poleaxed by jetlag, went straight
back to work, promoted my club nights, came down with one mutha of a cold blah
blah). But here is a bit of a rushed precis. In fact, it will probably read in
parts like bullet points!

Even more than usual, it felt this year’s
Viva Las Vegas (13-16 April 2017) went by in a boozy, sleep-deprived blur. It
was the festival’s twentieth anniversary – and the year Viva had its “United
Airlines moment”. As the weekend progressed the crowds just kept getting thicker
and denser until people began to suspect the organiser Tom Ingram had over-sold
the tickets (as in: sold way more wristbands than the venue could accommodate).
It meant that at peak times (like seeing the big-name headliners Si Cranstoun
or Wanda Jackson), the ball rooms instantly reached maximum capacity and The
Orleans Hotel and Casinos’ security men stopped letting people enter. At the
worst point, Viva attendees were trapped downstairs on the casino’s ground
floor, getting herded and yelled at by security guards, unable to take the
escalators up to the convention centre where the festivities were taking
place. In the rage and frustration,
there were reports of fights breaking out. If you were lucky enough to manage
to get into one of the ball rooms and had to split to use the restrooms –
forget it! You were ordered to join the back of the long, snaking line in the
corridor for “one in, one out” before you could re-enter. And trying to get a
drink …

Judging by the tsunami of furious tirades
on social media, some peoples’ entire weekends were ruined. People were posting
pics of their wristbands demanding “What was this for?” They’d flown from all
over the globe to attend. Many have vowed never to come to Viva Las Vegas
again. One woman ticked off a summary of how much her airfare, hotel bill and
wristband had cost - and then said she
and her husband had not been able to see any of the shows they wanted to! Some
accused Ingram of “over-selling” tickets out of greed. He’s since responded by
arguing the over-crowding was because of widespread bootleg wristbands (I still
don’t understand the logistics of how that would work) and assured everyone
that he and the management of The Orleans are coordinating to ensure this never
happens at Viva Las Vegas again.

Luckily For my friends and I, nothing we experienced
was that bad. Possibly because as a hardened Viva veteran I knew to arrive
early for everything. I managed to attend all the shows I wanted to (and the
Sunday afternoon pool party). After all these years, I still maintain it’s
impossible to have a bad time at Viva Las Vegas! (And bear in mind the first
year I went I was struck down with an excruciating case of shingles!). Anyway,
here is my rundown.

Thursday
13 April: My plane touched down in Vegas late on
the Wednesday night. No matter how exhausted you are after the draining transatlantic
flight, the shuttle bus journey from the airport into the city by night – being
plunged into the gloriously tacky, lurid flickering neon realm of the Strip –
is exciting. Once I finally arrived and checked in at The Orleans I crashed out
in bed and slept straight through until Thursday morning. (This year I split
the hotel room again with my friend Kevin from New Orleans).

The first day of Viva Las Vegas inevitably means
attending the annual afternoon introductory Hooch and Smooch party hosted by
Seattle’s doyenne of rockabilly Sweetpea. It’s a great chance to drink, mingle
and catch up with everyone and ease your way into the madness ahead. Of the bands
we caught at the Hooch and Smooch, the highlight was The Rip ‘Em Ups from Los Angeles.

/ Kevin and I at The Hooch and Smooch /

/ Patrick and Little E at The Hooch and Smooch /

/ Rich and Kevin at The Hooch and Smooch /

/ Sean Law (from behind), Little E and Rich at The Hooch and Smooch /

/ One of the heartthrobs of the weekend - saxophonist of the Rip 'Em Ups. One suave fucker /

After watching a few bands and sinking some
beers at the Hooch and Smooch, Kevin and I hopped in a cab for tropical
cocktails at perennial Las Vegas favourite Frankie’s Tiki Room. This is in fact
one of my most beloved bars in the world. Potent cocktails (I sank a Mai Tai –
Frankie’s speciality – followed by a Stinger), dark atmospheric lighting (it
takes a minute for your eyes to adjust when you first enter – a good sign), Polynesian decor and
an impressively hip jukebox heavy on the surf instrumentals make Frankie’s one
of my happiest places on earth. From there we hailed another cab to investigate
a new Tiki upstart on the scene – The Golden Tiki. Located in Vegas’ Chinatown,
it opened since I was last in Vegas in 2015 so it was new to us. Some friends
had warned about bad service at The Golden Tiki, but Kevin and I were treated
like visiting royalty. And the Mai Tais were excellent. Then it was back to The Orleans
for more Viva Las Vegas carousing.

/ Kevin and I drinking Mai Tais at The Golden Tiki. Doesn't this giant clam shell look like something out of The Flintstones? /

/ Reunion with Natelle /

/ Natelle and Sharon /

/ Tropical Tiki print bonanza! Sheila and friend /

/ Little E and glamorous friend /

Friday
14 April:After breakfast Kevin and I decided to
investigate the Burlesque Hall of Fame Museum on Fremont Street in downtown Las
Vegas. As we cut through the casino to get to the taxi rank outside, two women
walked past us. One of them was an
exceptionally striking older woman who looked vaguely familiar. For some
reason, I did a double take. My first response was: great cheekbones. Good
legs. Followed by: Wait! Is that Exene Cervenka?! In my elite pantheon of
eternal punk heroes, spooky punk poetess and tattooed voodoo dolly Exene, the frontwoman / twisted bride of essential Los Angeles punk band X, comes at the absolute top. I’ve loved
Exene – and her band X – since I was a teenager. To put it into context, there are maybe two essential, iconic "faces" of Los Angeles punk: Germs frontman Darby Crash (the doomed Sid Vicious of the scene) and Exene. I immediately blurted to
Kevin: “That was Exene Cervenka!” He replied, “Where?” I pointed-out the tousle-haired woman in
the denim mini-skirt and cowboy boots. We did an inconspicuous loop to pass them
again so Kevin could see for himself. (Kevin is a product of the Los Angeles
punk scene who’s seen X multiple times over the decades. If anyone could recognise
Exene at ten paces, it’s him). “That’s her!” he confirmed.

/ Patrick, Sheila and Rich arriving for breakfast /

/ Punk goddess Exene Cervenka circa 1980 /

My heart was pounding! For the rest of the
day, we were abuzz with speculation. Why was Exene in town staying at the sold-out
Orleans during Viva Las Vegas? Her name appeared nowhere on the schedule. Was
she making a surprise guest appearance with someone? At one point X’s peers The
Blasters had been scheduled to headline at the car show on Saturday. Exene joining
them onstage would be a logical fit. But The Blasters had dropped out of the
line-up. She’d recorded with surf-punk instrumental combo Los Straitjackets in
the past, who were definitely playing at the car show on Saturday. Maybe them? One
thing was certain: I needed to cross paths with Exene again! Getting a photo of
her was suddenly my most urgent art project of the weekend! I’d memorably met
Exene once before in London in 1995 when she was performing in town with her
kindred spirit and occasional accomplice Lydia Lunch (they were promoting their
spoken word album Rude Hieroglyphics. In 1982 the two had collaborated on a
volume of stark beatnik poetry entitled Adulterers Anonymous). I hung out with
them one afternoon and spoke to Exene while she played pinball. She was a tough
cookie (in repose Exene’s natural resting face is a scowl. She’s of Czech
descent – hence the surname – and has brooding Slavic bone structure) but amiable.
I remember we agreed that Under the Big Black Sun was X’s best album. Looking
back, I could kick myself that I didn’t have a camera handy and taken a photo
of Exene and Lydia together in such relaxed circumstances when I had a chance!
I was determined to rectify that in Vegas.

/ Exene Cervenka and John Doe (her then-husband) of the Los Angeles punk band X, photographed in the early eighties /

Anyway, the Burlesque Hall of Fame museum.
It’s a bijou one-room space but packed with fascinating memorabilia and worth
visiting. Displays line the walls, tracing the risqué history of strip-tease
from its roots in nineteenth century vaudeville up to its atomic-era zenith, renaissance
in the nineties and to the present day. All of the genre’s exemplary names (like
Gypsy Rose Lee, Tempest Storm, Blaze Starr, Liz Renay and Tura Satana) are amply
represented. One thing Kevin and I agreed on afterwards: the museum is completely
silent. A soundtrack of sleazy Las Vegas Grind-style bump’n’grind tittyshaker
music playing on a continuous loop would have improved the ambiance
immeasurably.

/ Above: the Burlesque Hall of Fame Museum /

We returned to The Orleans in time for the
Charles Phoenix slideshow. By this point, the effervescent and joyously camp
Phoenix – humorist and ambassador of kitschy Americana, very much in the lineage of John Waters – is a Viva Las Vegas institution. He always does two different
slideshow presentations during Viva Las Vegas. Attending both is obligatory! The title of one this year was “Fins, Flair
and Futurism” which gives you a good indication of Phoenix’s preoccupations. If
I described it as slideshow of a guy showing photos of vintage cars he’s owned
over the years and telling anecdotes about them you might justifiably say “Um …
no thanks” – but due to Phoenix’s skills as an effortless raconteur and his hilarious
queer eye, it’s insanely entertaining.

/ The sparkly Charles Phoenix /

/ Birmingham's The Terrorsaurs (only decent shot I got of them at Viva Las Vegas!}

Later that night I was watching vicious
instrumental surf-punk trio The Terrorsaurs from Birmingham (as in West
Midlands in the UK, not Alabama). The musicians’ faces obscured with hideously leering,
horned monster masks, they absolutely raged through their set and were one of
my favourite finds of this year’s Viva Las Vegas. (Since returning to London I’ve seen them
play here once too). While The Terrorsaurs were still playing, Sally and Paddy
arrived and found me by the front of the stage. These two are much-loved and
missed old London friends who upped sticks and re-located to North Carolina (of
all places!) when Paddy got a job offer there last year. This was the duo’s
first time at Viva Las Vegas (Kevin and I took them under our wings!) and my
first chance to see them since May 2016. What a great reunion! Kevin and I would
spend the rest of the weekend partying with Paddy and Sally. (As I’ve said many
times before: my main motivation for attending Viva Las Vegas so many times is
the people!).

/ Reunion with Paddy and Sally! /

Much later we all wandered down to the casino
to find somewhere quieter to get a drink. (This was the night the over-crowding
really began to become an issue). We were drinking at a relatively deserted bar
of The Orleans; I glanced over and got instant goose bumps. Seated right in
front of us, Exene Cervenka was playing one of the slot machines. We began debating
what to do and how best to approach her. Exene was accompanied by the same
female companion from earlier. While we were talking, they suddenly looked up
at us suspiciously. You could sense them realising that Exene had been
recognised by potential X fans. The female friend‘s demeanor suddenly turned
protective. She began hovering around
Exene almost like a body guard and was shooting us daggers with her eyes. This
was not looking good! Finally, I went to the bar to order more drinks. Exene’s
friend had temporarily vanished and the coast was clear. Even though Exene
wasn’t exactly radiating approachability, I was standing so close to her I
thought, “Fuck it – I’m going to push my luck!” I approached her and asked, “I’m
at the bar anyway. Can I get you a drink while I’m there, Exene?” And – it was
a bit tepid, brief and underwhelming. Exene was perfectly polite and friendly enough
but she didn’t really engage, seemed wary and clearly wasn’t in the mood to
speak to admirers. She thanked me but demurred, saying she was sticking to
water. I asked her what brought her to Viva Las Vegas, was she performing here?
She explained No, it had nothing to do with Viva Las Vegas – that was just a
coincidence. A punk club had flown Exene over to do a guest DJ’ing spot the
night before. She was flying back to Los Angeles the next morning. I told her
we’d met once before – years ago with Lydia Lunch in London. “That’s cool” was
all she said in response. And that was pretty much it. Her friend reappeared. When
the conversation faltered I said goodbye and went back to Kevin, Sally and
Paddy.

/ This is what 61 looks like! Present-day Exene. This is very much how she looked when we encountered her at The Orleans. What a woman! /

My main impression: it was a relief to see
Exene looking healthy and fit after some troubled years. She was diagnosed with
Multiple Sclerosis in 2009 (since then Exene has stated that was a misdiagnosis
and that she may have been suffering from lupus instead). More recently, Exene
catastrophically outed herself as a “truther” or conspiracy theorist and offered
some pretty distasteful and paranoid views online (as in: mass shooting sprees
are hoaxes cooked-up by the mainstream media to take away peoples’ guns). It led to a rash of scornful articles questioning Exene’s sanity and has done her reputation and mystique
considerable (irreparable?) damage even amongst hardcore X fans. (All her
social media accounts are now seemingly deleted – presumably by X’s management
in an act of damage limitation). Also: an American friend who shares some
mutual acquaintances with Exene hinted at possible alcohol or drug issues (to
paraphrase: “Oh, Exene was a mess for years.” She expressed relief when I mentioned Exene was drinking water rather than alcohol). So, while we didn’t exactly
“click”, it was reassuring to see Exene on apparently good form. I hope my punk
heroine has found some hard-won serenity.

/ Exene playing the slot machine at The Orleans: the closest thing we got to a photo of her [pic by Kevin] /

/ Reunion with Jorge from LA (aka DJ Zorch) /

Saturday
15 April: We all convened again Saturday morning
for the Viva Las Vegas car show. Sally is an unrepentant veteran Goth and getting
her photo taken with Cassandra Peterson (aka Elvira, the beloved cult figure, campy
horror movie hostess and Mistress of the Dark) at the car show was a priority. I’d
warned Sally that when I got my photo taken with Elvira at the car show in 2011 the queue was long and I had to stand in the baking sun for ages, so we got
there early. In fact, Sally and Paddy were at the front of line! Being prompt
pays off. The scuttlebutt amongst people queuing was that Peterson would be appearing
as “herself” and not costumed and bewigged as Elvira. When she eventually
arrived (15-minutes late like a proper show business diva), she was indeed not
in the Elvira persona. But the preternaturally youthful 65-year old redhead was
so irresistibly glamorous (in a clinging leopard-print dress, black cardigan
and dark Italian movie starlet-style sunglasses) no one could possibly object.
(Although it made me extra-thankful when I met Peterson, she was dressed as
Elvira!). The photo of Sally and Peterson together is adorable (and cost a
pretty penny; for the privilege, you’re obligated to purchase some wildly
over-priced Elvira merchandise first) but I did think it was kind of a drag
that Peterson kept her sunglasses on for it. Later when we passed her autograph
booth again Peterson had removed her sunglasses and I thought, why couldn’t you
have done that for Sally?

/ Two fabulous babes: Sally and Cassandra Peterson at the car show /

/ My own shot with Elvira in 2011 /

Our next red-hot camera session (as Dawn
Davenport would say) was with the impossibly glamorous and iconic 89-year old
striptease queen Tempest Storm, whose booth was almost next door to Peterson’s.
What a woman! She is truly the living,
breathing embodiment of burlesque history who's brushed shoulders with (and
outlived) the likes of Russ Meyer and Bettie Page. When we were posing
together, it suddenly dawned on me: my hand is on Tempest Storms back! Up
close, I revered Storm’s elegant poise, commitment to glamour and impeccable
grooming (that mane of perfectly teased and tousled auburn hair!), but I’d be
lying if I claimed we “connected.” She’s polite but sort of looks straight through
you with a vague beauty pageant contestant’s smile. I think Tempest Storm does
a lot of these autograph sessions and people have become interchangeable to her. (As you can see from the photos, Sally has Bettie Page-style bangs. In retrospect I wish I'd asked Tempest Storm, for the photo of you two together, can you slap Sally around and pull her hair like you did with Bettie Page in the 1955 "stag film" Teaserama? Let's recreate that moment!).

/ One suave fuck! James Intveld at the car show. (He, of course, provided the vocals that Johnny Depp lip-synched to in the 1990 John Waters juvenile delinquent musical Cry-baby /

From there we caught some of rockabilly
heartthrob James Intveld’s set and then explored all the vendors (the car show
is browsing heaven). That was pretty much it for the car show. As per
tradition, I quite literally got a farmer’s red neck (and forehead). We didn’t
stick around to watch all the bands play in the blistering heat. I would have
loved to seen Los Straitjackets again but I’ve seen them many times before. And
I heard very mixed reports about 72-year old headliner Brenda "Little Miss Dynamite" Lee (I get the impression it
was like a cruise ship cabaret show for senior citizens. It must have felt
hallucinatory-level kitsch to hear “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” in April).

/ Treasures at the vendors at the car show. (That pink flamingo! The poodles! Granny chic at its best!) /

/ Macabre detail at car show /

/ Above and below: car show /

Later, back inside at The Orleans’
Bailiwick pub we watched The Desperados from California. What an incredibly
exciting band! Their set was like an assault or an attack! The thuggish Desperados
approach primal rockabilly as if it’s 1950s punk – exactly the approach I love.
And their moody black-clad frontman Slim Cervantes really knows how to crank up
the tension, drama and menace. (It doesn’t hurt that the band is young, cute
and Latino). They were followed by the ominous, rumbling twang-y surf rock of
The Aquasonics.

/ The Desperados /

/ These two sullen rebels are bad news! They are real pieces of work! Sally and Kevin at The Orleans’ Bailiwick pub /

/ The fabulous Sweetpea and I at The Orleans’ Bailiwick pub /

/ For the connoisseurs of firm male flesh out there: check out this prime beefcake specimen, built like a young Marlon Brando. (He was watching Johnny Devil and His Sins in the ballroom at the time) /

The veteran first lady of rockabilly Wanda
Jackson headlined Saturday night. (This was one of the in-demand shows which over-crowding
prevented loads of people from seeing. As Viva troupers, Kevin and I had staked
a spot near the front well in advance). I hadn’t seen Jackson (now 79 years
old) perform in several years and it was undeniably melancholic to see that in
the meantime she’s grown significantly physically frailer. While the crew was setting-up the stage I
noticed there was a stool positioned next to the microphone – a worrying sign.
Sure enough, Jackson had to be carefully guided by the elbow onto the stage and
to the chair, and sang sitting down. Apparently backstage she relied on a
wheelchair. It reminded me of seeing late-period rhythm and blues belter Ruth
Brown (aka Hairspray’s Motormouth Mabelle) when she was incapacitated, or the
ailing and immobile Little Richard in 2013 or Little Jimmy Scott towards the
end when his bodyguard would carry him onto the stage like a doll. (When Pal
and I last saw raspy-voiced punk diva Marianne Faithfull perform in London,
post-broken hip, in 2016 it was a similar situation). Like Bette Davis once
said: ageing isn’t for sissies.

But then the band kicked into the first
track - and reassuringly Jackson’s rasping
vocal onslaught is still ferocious, the trademark bouffant hair is still jet-black
and gravity-defying and she still radiates warmth and unaffected sweetness. The
tight set encompassed all her late fifties and early sixties rock’n’roll greats:
she opened with a rampaging “Riot in Cell Block #9” and encored with “Let’s
Have a Party” and included “Fujiyama Mama” and Jackson’s defining 1961 masterpiece
“Funnel of Love” in between. She also incorporated a tribute to ex-boyfriend
Elvis (a smouldering cover of “Heartbreak Hotel”), gospel and Country &
Western (on the country tune Jackson employed effortless, note-perfect yodelling).
The high-point, though was Jackson’s interpretation of Amy Winehouse’s “You Know
I’m No Good” from her Jack White-produced 2011 “comeback” album The Party
Ain’t Over. Jackson admitted she and White clashed over the inclusion of the
song (it was his idea). “It’s too sexually explicit and it’s not age-appropriate!”
she had argued. Afterwards, she admitted it’s since become her favourite from the
whole album. The song pushes Jackson out of her comfort zone and – to her
eternal credit - she rises to the challenge, investing Winehouse’s words with
heart-wrenching emotional torment (she packs the lyric “I cheated myself / like
I knew I would” with soulful regret). Jackson transforms “You Know I’m
No Good” into a timeless honky tonk angel’s lament, redolent of neon signs, jukeboxes
and barstool mamas crying into their beer. Who knows if I’ll get to see Jackson
perform again? (Certainly, she doesn’t appear to be slowing down: next on her
schedule was the Nashville Boogie Vintage Weekender in May). If this does wind
up being the last time, it sure was a memorable.

/ Sally and Sheila /

/ Jr and Andre /

Sunday
16 April: Ah, the sun-kissed nirvana of the Sunday
afternoon Viva Las Vegas pool party. It really is bliss. Reclining in the shade
of palm trees on green astro-turf (so much better than actual grass) drinking
Bloody Marys and beers with friends to a soundtrack of twangy surf music. And
bubbles. (Patrick brought a bubble-blowing machine). Highlights of the pool
party: the men’s vintage bathing suit competition (our own Kevin entered in his
cabana suit!). Patrick’s inflatable bull (it caused an instant sensation!). After
sinking a few Bloody Marys and cans of Budweiser I even splashed around in the
pool myself. We split in time for the weekend’s second Charles Phoenix
Slideshow later that afternoon. Paddy and Sally were unfamiliar with Phoenix
and became instant converts (and Paddy instantly perfected his Charles Phoenix
imitation: “I knooooow!”).

/ Yee-ha! Rich (and inflatable bull) at the pool party /

/ Patrick and Sheila /

/ Sheila and Rich /

/ Prime beefcake at the pool party! Rich and friend /

/ Kevin, Patrick and I /

/ A moment worthy of Vampira or Morticia Addams: Sally's arrival at the pool party /

/ Sheila and Rich /

/ Jayne Mansfield lives! (When I spoke to the blonde babe afterwards she admitted the styling of her beehive wig was inspired by Jayne's in The Wild, Wild World of Jayne Mansfield) /

/ Sheila and I /

/ Andre and Jr (fresh from the men's vintage swimsuit competition) /

/ Kevin embracing the spirit of the pool party /

/ At a certain point the inflatable bull got tossed into the pool. It caused a sensation! /

/ Watching Charles Phoenix's slideshow post-pool party (I had no time to change out of my swimming shorts! /

/ Treasures at the Viva Las Vegas vendors. I've been after the perfect biker-style jean jacket with ripped-off sleeves for ages. These fit the bill - but they are high-end ultra-collectable vintage denim vests from the late fifties / early sixties that once actually belonged to juvenile delinquent gang members and cost hundreds of dollars! /

I entirely missed this year’s jiving
competition – the ballroom was so jammed I couldn't see the dancers anyway. But while that was going in, I
caught Vicky Tafoya and The Big Beat’s set. I’ve admired big-haired rockabilly
chanteuse Tafoya (and her belting voice, steeped in fifties doo-wop and sixties girl group) ever since I first started going to
Viva Las Vegas (she’s based in Los Angeles and seems to play annually) and it’s
great to see how her fame seems to grow every time. This year she was treated
like a superstar, with throngs of people waiting to have their photos taken
with her afterwards. Tafoya’s extreme and distinctive trademark look is sensational. With her huge lacquered pompadour
of raven hair and false eyelashes (so thick and long they’re like black
tarantulas), she looks like an escapee from a John Waters film. In a fairer
world, Vicky Tafoya should be a big breakout star already. Fans of female singers like Amy Winehouse or Holly Golightly really need to discover her.

/ The sole shot I managed to take of Latina glamour queen Vicky Tafoya didn't really do her justice ... /

/ ... this one is much better! Borrowed it from someone else's flickr album! /

The rest of the night was low-key. After so
much sun, booze and late nights, by the last night of Viva I was feeling fried.
We watched Abby Girl and The Real Deal at The Bailiwick pub. (Seriously, we saw
way more bands than this account suggests! It’s hard to keep track. We
definitely saw Deke Dickerson's R&B revue, Lance Lipinsky and The Lovers, Johnny Devil and His Sins and plenty of others!).
This was our group’s last proper chance to hang out and say goodbye: Kevin was
splitting fairly early for New Orleans the next morning and Sally and Paddy
(who were staying in a different hotel) were heading back to North
Carolina.

Monday
17 April: Monday afternoon found me waiting in the
departure lounge at McCarran International Airport for my flight home and
listening to a piped-in soundtrack of vintage wall-to-wall middle of the road muzak
(“If Not for You” by Olivia Newton-John. “Deep Purple” by The Osmonds). Then
out of nowhere came “Do the Clam” by Elvis (from his 1965 film Girl Happy). What a perfect coda to Viva Las Vegas 2017!